MUNCIE – The average salary for a full professor at Ball State University ranked 14th out of 35 Indiana colleges and universities in 2013-14, according to the annual American Association of University Professors survey.

Professor salaries at Ivy Tech Community College ranked fifth from last.

Among the state's other doctoral institutions, the average salary at Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis ranked third in the state ($113,600); Indiana State University ranked eighth ($95,600); and BSU ranked 14th ($90,000).

"No news here," Ball State political science professor Joe Losco told The Star Press. "BSU faculty salaries have lagged behind our peers for more than 30 years while the expectations and requirements placed on faculty have steadily increased. Faculty are responsible for increasing the stature of BSU in recent years, but the administration has failed to deliver on its promises of improving faculty salaries relative to peers — let alone other universities in the state with which it seeks to compete."

Bernie Hannon, assistant treasurer at Ball State, acknowledged "there are gaps in our faculty salaries" but denied the administration has failed to address the gaps. "Addressing them is a priority," he said. "Since 2012, we have been implementing a four-point plan."

“No news here. BSU faculty salaries have lagged behind our peers for more than 30 years while the expectations and requirements placed on faculty have steadily increased. Faculty are responsible for increasing the stature of BSU in recent years, but the administration has failed to deliver on its promises of improving faculty salaries relative to peers — let alone other universities in the state with which it seeks to compete.”

Joe Losco, Political Science professor

The University of Notre Dame did not participate in the national survey of 1,157 institutions but an official did tell The Star Press that the average salary for a professor was $158,677.

Besides trailing their colleagues at IU, Purdue, IUPUI and Indiana State, Ball State professors also are lower paid on average than those at two of Purdue's regional campuses, at one of IU's regional campuses and at six private schools: Rose Hulman Institute of Technology; Valparaiso University, Wabash College, DePauw University, Trine University and Butler University.

The salaries of associate and assistant professors at Ball State also ranked 14th in Indiana.

The lowest-paid professors in the state are at the Catholic Saint Joseph's College ($61,500), preceded by the Christian Bethel College ($62,300); the Mennonite Goshen College ($62,900); the Christian Anderson University ($64,100); and Ivy Tech Community College ($64,500).

Ball State Provost Terry King said it's no surprise that salaries are lower at BSU than at IUPUI, which has schools of medicine, law, engineering and dentistry. The faculty salary survey, published recently in The Chronicle of Higher Education's 2014 Almanac, does not include medical-school faculty but does include schools of law, dentistry and engineering.

King also noted that "tuition is very high" at the six private schools whose faculty are paid more than Ball State's, and that two of those six are engineering schools.

While Indiana State has no schools of law, engineering or dentistry, average salaries at Indiana State aren't that much higher ($5,600) than at Ball State, King said. "If it was a lot more than that we would be really concerned," he said.

BSU officials also note that Indiana State receives more state funding per full time equivalent student ($8,175) than Ball State ($7,627).

King also pointed out that the survey shows BSU faculty are paid more than the faculty at five regional IU and Purdue campuses.

"There is a lot of noise in that data," King said of the survey. Comparing faculty salaries at BSU to fellow Mid American Conference schools, if you factor in the lower cost of living in Muncie and differences in disciplines (like professional schools) at MAC institutions, "we move from the bottom of the pack to the middle of the pack," he said.

"We pay competitive salaries," King said. "We occasionally lose faculty to other institutions, but we are not seeing a mass exodus out of here."

He added, "We are not making excuses. We know there is a salary gap and we are looking at proactive ways to close the gaps."

To close those gaps, Ball State has:

• Increased the general salary pool for faculty by 3.5 percent in 2012-13 and by another 3 percent last year and this year.

• Increased the raises faculty receive when promoted to associate professor and professor.

• Allocated a higher percentage of discretionary merit pay to faculty, including $150,000 this year.

• Budgeted more funds for strategic, mid-year salary increases for associate and full professors and for about 100 of the most meritorious and productive faculty.

"It is important to understand ... the context of our financial situation," Hannon said. "The university continues to absorb an $11.84 million reduction in 2011-13 state funding for operations on top of a $15.25 million reduction in the 2009-11 biennium."

Losco responded: "The faculty market is internationally competitive. If we are to attract and retain high quality faculty and ask them to move here, simply telling them the cost of living is cheaper is not enough to bring them here in the first place. Also, the faculty are fairly tired of hearing about the cost of living when it comes to faculty but not when it comes to hiring administrators. The university plan for salary increases is welcomed but is simply not enough to move Ball State forward."